Blog - It's Just a Vape Pen, Right?

Vape pens are sweeping the country, but what we are quickly finding out (and many people still don’t know) is what is actually inside those vape pens. First, there are no absolutes when you talk about a vape pen or e- cigarette. There are vapes that work for nicotine, flavored oils without nicotine, marijuana and even synthetics. Many people are vaping marijuana, right in front of you, and you may have no idea. Therein lies the rub.

Now, we are not saying that everyone is smoking drugs out of vape pens. However, a lot of law enforcement officers are finding that many are using them for drugs.

WHAT’S INSIDE THAT PEN?

Last year in the January/February issue of Campus Safety magazine, I wrote an article on the use of marijuana concentrates and their popularity. Marijuana concentrates and vape pens are the perfect marriage. Concentrates come in oil, wax or crystal form, and the current version of vape pens can work for all three.

Here is where the hurdles occur. You can’t simply look at someone smoking from a vape pen and know what is inside that they are inhaling from. So, how can you figure out what someone is actually smoking?

First, we need to understand these pens a little better. The baseline when dealing with vape pens is there are NO ABSOLUTES.

When law enforcement officers and the public were first introduced to vape pens, many of us learned an electric device vaporizes a liquid form of nicotine. Many forms of nicotine are found in vape shops, convenience stores, gas stations, grocery outlets, and even alcohol outlets depending on the state.

Many of the pens you see that are being used for nicotine look similar to some of the pens in the drug world and vice/versa.

NO ONE SUSPECTS YOU’RE INHALING A DRUG

Over the last few years, vape pens for drug use have become popular. They can be colorful, small and very discrete, with the latter being a large selling point to these various pens. Imagine: sitting in class, at a stop light next to a police car, in a dance club or even in a movie theater taking a hit of a drug and no one around you even suspects drug use? Or sitting in a class room and the professor turns their back for a few seconds as they write on the dry erase board….meanwhile the person next to you is “vaping” but in actuality are taking a hit of something. What is that something you ask? If it is a drug, there is a good chance, it is marijuana.

So how can this be done and others might not detect it? As mentioned in the previous article, marijuana concentrates can be hard to detect, carry very little odor and are not a green, leafy substance. Once you place these various forms of marijuana into a quality vape pen, that pen can produce little to no odor thereby reducing or eliminating the known odor of marijuana. Furthermore, the user is receiving a stronger high. Also, any odor that is present, and the lingering smell of marijuana, is reduced, again making it hard to detect.

HOW TO DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF VAPE PEN IS BEING USED

First, you should open it. Inside of the pen you might see a raised wick surrounded by a coil, or a flat coil or just a cylinder. The packed or used residue of the product will be inside these areas.

Wax inside of a vape pen will generally test with law enforcement kits. Also, if the pen had been smoked recently, there sometimes will be the odor of smoked marijuana coming from inside of the pen.

It should be noted that a closed pen, with wax on the inside, will produce very little to no smell. Also, if you choose to open it, I would recommend wearing gloves as you don’t know the extraction method or what else it might contain.

Here are the substances we seem to be finding the most in vape pens during traffic stops, in schools, in hospitals, and in other public places: dry herbal marijuana, marijuana, wax, and marijuana oil.

In the end, vape pens are hard to identify, offer a new way of use, are VERY discrete, produce less of an odor and therefore can make some means of drug use easier to use and more mobile.

Testimonials

Drugs and alcohol are an ever-present part of youth culture. Laws and attitudes regarding marijuana are changing quickly. Even the marijuana itself is changing, and new technologies make it easier for people to conceal drugs and even use them in plain sight. Staying on top of the newest...

Mike Jackson

President

Oregon School Resource Officers Association

I work EMS, but I learned more in 1.5 hours than I have in 10 years. Enjoyed the session in Charlotte!

Linda

Paramedic

Emergency Medical Services - Charlotte, NC

Sublette County is a small rural, agriculture and energy based community in Wyoming. Many of the issues that face us today in prevention are the things we are not willing to open our eyes to. When Officer Galloway first came to our community and spoke, he provided the information we...

Ranae Pape

Community Prevention Specialist

Prevention Management Organization of Wyoming, Sublette County

The first time I was introduced to Jermaine I was not able to actually attend Tall Cop Says Stop “You Can’t Stop What You Don’t Know,” due to being in charge of registration, but I knew CARE Coalition who I work for would be hosting one a month later, so I would be able to attend. In the...

Christopher Delaney

Community Outreach Specialist

CARE Coalition - Las Vegas, Nevada

Relevant. Current. Real-world application. Jermaine Galloway’s presentation exceeds expectations. Using practical and riveting presenting skills, Jermaine captivates his audience and has a tremendous impact on the total learning experience. He is a dynamic speaker who will enhance any event to...

Pam Revels

President

The Alabama Association of School Resource Officers

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Steve Schmader

President & CEO

International Festivals & Events Association

Officer Galloway's class/instruction should be a requirement for all police officers as part of their annual in-service training. It should also be a required course for all parents of school age children. "You can't stop what you don't know" is true. There is so much alcohol and drug influence...

Tim George #219

Chief of Police

Medford (Oregon) Police Department

Officer Galloway is a gifted presenter with obvious passion for his subject. There is nothing more engaging than listening to someone who speaks from a wealth of experience in something they feel strongly about. His commitment to keeping pace with current trends and being out on the streets to...

Stephanie Tennant

RN

Northern Utah Trauma System

I take great pleasure in recommending Officer Jermaine Galloway for training and instruction in Youth Alcohol Enforcement and Education. I have known Jermaine for over 6 years, attending classes that he presented at the Northwest Alcohol Conference, OJJDP National Leadership Conferences and...

Teri Pectol

Program Manager/EUDL Coordinator

Utah Highway Safety Office

Jermaine worked hard to find a training date that would fit our schedule and needs. Then, atthe training, he was well-prepared and organized. We had a multi-disciplinary audience of over150 professionals – from law enforcement to social workers. Jermaine kept everyone engagedand interested...

Eric Wallace

Coordinator of Specialized Training

Amarillo College Criminal Justice Programs

The first time I was able to see and hear the presentation from Jermaine Galloway was at theNational DRE Conference in Seattle, Washington the summer of 2012. The presentation wastwo hours long and during that time I was writing and listening and telling myself that I had toremember every item...

Jim Meyerdirk

DRE State Coordinator Law Enforcement Liaison

Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau

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